Seventh place enough for Europa League
Munich - FC Bayern München’s 5-1 DFB Cup semi-final victory over 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Wednesday evening has opened the door for another Bundesliga club to play in European competition next season.
Four-way battle
The DFB Cup winners earn a ticket into the UEFA Europa League, but as Bayern and are already guaranteed a berth in Europe by virtue of their league positions, the side that finishes in seventh in the Bundesliga this term will be given Germany’s third Europa League spot.
That is good news for current incumbents 1. FSV Mainz 05, who are five points ahead of eighth-placed FC Augsburg with just four rounds of matches left to play. Bayer 04 Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach, the teams respectively fourth to sixth in the Bundesliga standings, also edged closer to securing European qualification thanks to Bayern’s victory.
The overview below provides an outline of what the respective league positions qualify each side for:
1st: Automatic Champions League group stage
2nd: Automatic Champions League group stage
3rd: Automatic Champions League group stage
4th: Champions League play-offs
5th: Automatic Europa League group stage
6th: Europa League play-offs
7th: Europa League third round qualifying
The teams with a chance of qualifying for the Europa League via the Fair Play ruling will be announced on 30 April 2014, but at present it is unlikely that a Bundesliga side will be involved.
